We live in a world beset by major problems: the coronavirus pandemic, systemic racism and, as if those weren’t troubling enough, the threat of climate change. But Emmy-winning producer, director and author Ann Druyan maintains optimism about human potential. You might say she takes a cosmic view.
“What gives me hope is that our ancestors had their backs to the wall on countless occasions…and they suffered tremendous hardships and managed to endure and even to flourish,” Druyan tells Deadline. “This is true of our species…We have what it takes.”
She adds quickly that what she believes in is “evidence-based hope.”
“We have the means to get through these terrible troubles, but we have to get our act together,” Druyan insists. “And one of the ways, in my view, is to spread the knowledge of science and high technology to the widest possible public once again.”
Druyan has...
“What gives me hope is that our ancestors had their backs to the wall on countless occasions…and they suffered tremendous hardships and managed to endure and even to flourish,” Druyan tells Deadline. “This is true of our species…We have what it takes.”
She adds quickly that what she believes in is “evidence-based hope.”
“We have the means to get through these terrible troubles, but we have to get our act together,” Druyan insists. “And one of the ways, in my view, is to spread the knowledge of science and high technology to the widest possible public once again.”
Druyan has...
- 7/3/2020
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
One of the highlights of Nat Geo’s “Cosmos: Possible Worlds” was how stop-motion animation helped humanize the tragic career of pioneering Russian botanist/geneticist Nikolai Vavilov in Episode 4: “Vavilov.” Indeed, the way in which Josef Stalin politicized pseudo-science to debunk Vavilov’s revolutionary discoveries to end hunger (he starved to death in prison), serves as a timely reminder of how political propaganda continues to imperil scientific truth.
Showrunner Ann Druyan and executive producer Brannon Braga used lots of hand-drawn animation throughout the series as a visual change of pace, but wanted to give “Vavilov” a more distinctive look to help humanize the historical drama. And they were both admirers of stop-motion, especially the nuance and naturalism of Charlie Kaufman’s Oscar-nominated “Anomalisa,” which was co-directed by Duke Johnson and animated at Starburns Industries — so they approached Johnson to spearhead the episode.
Trouble was, Johnson was in the midst...
Showrunner Ann Druyan and executive producer Brannon Braga used lots of hand-drawn animation throughout the series as a visual change of pace, but wanted to give “Vavilov” a more distinctive look to help humanize the historical drama. And they were both admirers of stop-motion, especially the nuance and naturalism of Charlie Kaufman’s Oscar-nominated “Anomalisa,” which was co-directed by Duke Johnson and animated at Starburns Industries — so they approached Johnson to spearhead the episode.
Trouble was, Johnson was in the midst...
- 6/24/2020
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
One of the highlights of Nat Geo’s “Cosmos: Possible Worlds” was how stop-motion animation helped humanize the tragic career of pioneering Russian botanist/geneticist Nikolai Vavilov in Episode 4: “Vavilov.” Indeed, the way in which Josef Stalin politicized pseudo-science to debunk Vavilov’s revolutionary discoveries to end hunger (he starved to death in prison), serves as a timely reminder of how political propaganda continues to imperil scientific truth.
Showrunner Ann Druyan and executive producer Brannon Braga used lots of hand-drawn animation throughout the series as a visual change of pace, but wanted to give “Vavilov” a more distinctive look to help humanize the historical drama. And they were both admirers of stop-motion, especially the nuance and naturalism of Charlie Kaufman’s Oscar-nominated “Anomalisa,” which was co-directed by Duke Johnson and animated at Starburns Industries — so they approached Johnson to spearhead the episode.
Trouble was, Johnson was in the midst...
Showrunner Ann Druyan and executive producer Brannon Braga used lots of hand-drawn animation throughout the series as a visual change of pace, but wanted to give “Vavilov” a more distinctive look to help humanize the historical drama. And they were both admirers of stop-motion, especially the nuance and naturalism of Charlie Kaufman’s Oscar-nominated “Anomalisa,” which was co-directed by Duke Johnson and animated at Starburns Industries — so they approached Johnson to spearhead the episode.
Trouble was, Johnson was in the midst...
- 6/24/2020
- by Bill Desowitz
- Thompson on Hollywood
“Cosmos: Possible Worlds” finally has a premiere date at National Geographic. The 13-episode season will debut March 9, 2020 on the cable channel and is set to air on Fox next summer.
“National Geographic is proud to be the world’s leading destination for viewers who are passionate about science and exploration,” Courteney Monroe, president of global television networks at National Geographic, said in a statement Thursday. “Which is why we’re excited for the next chapter of the most-beloved and most-watched science show to date, ‘Cosmos,’ to return to our air. ‘Cosmos: Possible Worlds’ takes complex themes from astrophysics, astronomy and anthropology and makes them accessible and entertaining for millions of people around the world to devour.”
Fox and Nat Geo, which share the series, pulled their respective scheduled March 2019 premieres of “Cosmos: Possible Worlds” — a follow-up to 2014’s “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey”– back in February, amid an investigation into sexual...
“National Geographic is proud to be the world’s leading destination for viewers who are passionate about science and exploration,” Courteney Monroe, president of global television networks at National Geographic, said in a statement Thursday. “Which is why we’re excited for the next chapter of the most-beloved and most-watched science show to date, ‘Cosmos,’ to return to our air. ‘Cosmos: Possible Worlds’ takes complex themes from astrophysics, astronomy and anthropology and makes them accessible and entertaining for millions of people around the world to devour.”
Fox and Nat Geo, which share the series, pulled their respective scheduled March 2019 premieres of “Cosmos: Possible Worlds” — a follow-up to 2014’s “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey”– back in February, amid an investigation into sexual...
- 11/7/2019
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
National Geographic will bring viewers on a journey through time and space in the long-awaited “Cosmos: Possible Worlds,” which will debut March 9, 2020.
The new 13-episode edition of “Cosmos” is part of the revival of astronomer Carl Sagan’s beloved 1980 show “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage,” which covered all manner of scientific subjects. A second season, “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey,” introduced the series to a new generation in 2014 and brought astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson on board to host.
Tyson will return to host “Cosmos: Possible Worlds” and he’ll kick off the season on the show’s iconic “Ship of the Imagination” to explore different time periods and a variety of far-flung planets. The show will venture through both time and space, starting at the dawn of the universe and moving to a futuristic 2039 New York World’s Fair, before moving further into the future.
The series is the brainchild of Emmy and Peabody Award-winner Ann Druyan,...
The new 13-episode edition of “Cosmos” is part of the revival of astronomer Carl Sagan’s beloved 1980 show “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage,” which covered all manner of scientific subjects. A second season, “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey,” introduced the series to a new generation in 2014 and brought astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson on board to host.
Tyson will return to host “Cosmos: Possible Worlds” and he’ll kick off the season on the show’s iconic “Ship of the Imagination” to explore different time periods and a variety of far-flung planets. The show will venture through both time and space, starting at the dawn of the universe and moving to a futuristic 2039 New York World’s Fair, before moving further into the future.
The series is the brainchild of Emmy and Peabody Award-winner Ann Druyan,...
- 11/7/2019
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
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